dagblog - Comments for "Tell Us a Story, Mr. President"

Drew Westen's The Political

AmericanDreamer — Sun, 07 Nov 2010 14:34:52 +0000

In reply to Tell Us a Story, Mr. President

Drew Westen's The Political Brain (2007) was interesting and entertaining, I thought, on narrative in politics, and still, after 3 whole years, highly pertinent. Whether one likes his suggestions or not. He has interesting things to say in analyzing actual speeches of both successful and unsuccessful candidates.

In answer to the question "To

SleepinJeezus — Sun, 07 Nov 2010 04:50:34 +0000

In reply to I like it. It's not quite as

In answer to the question "To what?" I would respond in part with the following:

Our foreign trade policy must be refigured into an opportunity to export Liberty to others throughout the world rather than exploiting the "human resources" and other resources in other countries for sole purpose of fattening corporate profits. Announce a new initiative wherein our Commerce Department works closely with the State Department to encourage the offshore growth and development of our business sector. But refocus these economic efforts toward developing the economies in these "host countries." The present practice too often represents neo-colonial exploitation of others to lessen the production costs of goods and services targeted for the U.S. consumer. Our present trade policies are not sustainable, nor do they serve the interests of economic justice here or abroad. Instead, they threaten to undermine over a century's worth of effort to arrive at reasonable labor and environmental protections in this country in favor of pursuing the lowest common denominator available in the developing countries.

At its essence, the difference in policies might best be outlined in the notion that "If you choose to make Ford's in Transylvania, then sell them to the Transylvanians." In other words, use the development of the economy in other countries to strengthen the ability of those workers to participate as consumers. It is the way in which the U'S. economy was built, and should serve as a model for growth elsewhere.

As you point out, Reagan's views represent the core of the Republican economic ideology. What isn't fully understood is that it has also been the core philosophy that has driven our economics for over thirty years. For all the talk about "lack of compromise" in our politics, I would point out that the Dems have consistently compromised their labor-oriented principles these last thirty years in effort to make this system work. NAFTA is only one example. Our consistent leadership in the G20 and GATT are other areas where Dems have participated with an obeisance to the general principles that insist we all benefit from top-loaded economic initiatives. If the corporations are happy, we're all happy.

We now see that the system has failed. We are producing products offshore that no longer have a market because the American consumer can't afford to purchase them. We are dead in the water with no wind at our backs. We need a whole new direction.

This ain't for the weak and the weary to pursue, but the times are sufficiently challenging to require a major new initiative that sets a whole lot of "Common Wisdom" on its head. And it puts to the test the commitment of those who now spout platitudes about "looking forward rather than back."

There is so much more to consider once we genuinely look for an alternative to the failed Reaganomics. Dare I say a whole book or books could be written to document the numerous ways we can understand this failure, beginning with the incredible shift of wealth into the hands of so few people at the top with a resultant decimation of Main Street and our middle class/working poor. We need to then explore the complexities of pursuing a new direction, being careful to challenge present assumptions. (e.g. The "health" of our economy is not best measured by the Dow Index, but rather by the relative wealth of all our people.)

Anyway, enough for now. But suffice to say that I anticipate need for a virtual revolution in economic thinking if we ever hope to get out from under the presently painful circumstances confronted by all but the wealthiest participants in this economy. And it begins by someone (hopefully in leadership within the Dem Party) standing tall to declare that "The Emperor has no clothes."

I like it. It's not quite as

Michael Wolraich — Sun, 07 Nov 2010 00:08:00 +0000

In reply to Obama has a great story to

I like it. It's not quite as simple as mine, but I think that blaming economic problems on Reaganomics would be an effective message. Republicans have more or less disowned GW, but Reagan's views represents the core of the their economic ideology. Presenting Reaganomics as a failed experiment embraces Republicans adoration for Reagan, and turns it on its head. Time to move on.

(But to what?)

Another nebulous non-answer.

Donal — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 19:04:52 +0000

In reply to What I see are opportunities

Another nebulous non-answer.

What I see are opportunities

David Seaton — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 18:19:05 +0000

In reply to So to support your contention

What I see are opportunities lost, precious ones that may never return.

I think you are spot on,

SleepinJeezus — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 15:15:55 +0000

In reply to I'm not sure you agree with

I think you are spot on, Quinn. These hedge fund managers and the wealthy elite running these corporations are not sympathetic characters, as a rule. And they are sufficiently insulated from the hoi polloi that they are completely out of touch with middle class reality. In a word, they are inflammatory sound bites just waiting to be recorded for all to see. We should do all we can to give them the opportunity by calling them out on their nonsense with an insistence that they defend themselves and their tax cuts, and bonuses, and their exporting of jobs, and their "entitlements" (social, political, and financial), and... (See my comments below)

Great post. Obama has a great

Oxy Mora — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 14:54:22 +0000

In reply to Obama has a great story to

Great post. Obama has a great story to tell--so get the hell out of India, get back up on that podium and show some fight.

Also, I apologize for being so faux pedantic on the subject of narrative, I barely survived American Studies, but is there a way to put all of this in a sentence or two? I really like, "Get the fuck outta' the way", seriously, he has the godammed high ground, it's time to use it.

Obama has a great story to

SleepinJeezus — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 14:41:17 +0000

In reply to Tell Us a Story, Mr. President

Obama has a great story to tell: "The thirty year experiment in Trickle-Down Reaganomics has failed!"

He can point out that - contrary to the popular meme that neither side is willing to compromise - the Dems have consistently compromised over these last thirty years in effort to modify, but not obstruct, this experiment in a top-ordered economic system that has failed the American people. He can then point out that the Dems have compromised to the point of themselves being compromised, surrendering their defense of economic justice for the middle class and the poor in an attempt to make this experiment work.

He can point out the statistics that show wealth aggregating upwards in unprecedented fashion over these last thirty years. He can show how the tax rates have shifted onto the backs of the American people and away from the privileged elite. He can show how a "business-friendly government" has relaxed regulation or failed to administer regulations altogether in ways that have directly led to the deaths of the roustabouts on the Deepwater Horizon and the miners in West Virginia. And he can show very directly how this economic experiment led directly to our present economic crisis. (For openers, it's pretty much obvious in retrospect that you can't maintain a consumer-driven economy if you continually rob the worker-consumers of their income and their wealth by moving their jobs overseas and trashing the value of their biggest financial asset, their homes.)

He can then point out that every effort that has been made to fix this failure has been met by an insistence that we must continue more of the same policies that got us into trouble in the first place. A Keynesian stimulus? No, sayeth the Repubs, unless you include more tax cuts for the rich. A mortgage cramdown? No, sayeth the Repubs. Far better to just give the money to the banks and let them decide what to do with it. When that doesn't work? Well, sayeth the GOP, just give the banks more money and pass out another $700 billion in tax cuts to the wealthy.

The President needs to address the American people with a sense of urgency. He needs to at last declare that the Dems are ready to stick a fork in Reaganomics as the bloated carcass of unsustainable greed and corruption that it is. And he will sound the alarm that we need to get moving on this quickly and forcefully, before the "anonymous contributors" purchase any more elections for their wholly owned subsidiary, the GOP.

This election left me feeling as though we are on the verge of being "relieved" of our responsibilities that attend self-governance to instead be delivered to the feet of Wall Street and the corporations. To the victor goes the spoils, I reckon, but we don't have to like it. Obama has a story to tell, alright. And it needs to be told in certain terms that, at last, we are prepared to stand up and fight. Reaganomics has failed, and the American people are suffering because of it. There is an alternative. Let the GOP cling to their failed policies. Let them continue as the party representing the interests of those who remain untouched by - and even profit from! - the disastrous policies that have caused such pain and misery for most Americans. And let the Dems lead the charge to restore sanity in our economics and lead us out of this mess. Let the Dems be the party that tells the wealthy and their GOP minions to "Get the fuck outta' the way! It's time to try something different, and this time we're going to put the interests and the financial stability of the American people first."

Genghis, what I think is that

Oxy Mora — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 14:28:49 +0000

In reply to Thanks Oxy. My point was not

Genghis, what I think is that the Republicans are working at an archetype story level--we're the new guys here, come to throw the evil sheriff out-- and Obama needs to respond at the archetype level. Otherwise the opposition's story, or narrative, becomes entrenched and can be, arguably, predictive. IOW, I think the archetype story is the compelling level. Actually O'Connell and the tea rabble have just handed Obama the high ground: "Now if you've come to town to fix things, we'll work with you. But if you've come here to tear the place down, we'll fight you." Just spitballin'.

So to support your contention

Donal — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 13:34:52 +0000

In reply to I suppose you haven't noticed

So to support your contention that Obama is an empty suit, you are enlarging the number of empty suits to include the leading Republican politicians and presumably anyone else that Obama can handle in a debate. You're just sitting in a field too, saying I told you so, and waiting for Obama to leave office. Which is essentially what Rush Limbaugh did for the entire eight years that Clinton was in office, and is doing now with Obama in office. Maybe EIB has a place for you somewhere.